Since You've Been Gone
by Illusion of Insanity
Summary: It's been six years since Kotone Soul left for Unova, and still no signs of the girl has reached Johto's shores. Even though everyone else has given up and considered her dead, Silver still seems compelled to wait on the Olivine Docks to watch the boat from Unova arrive. Will December come and bring seven years of absence, or will miracles happen one autumn afternoon? (Four-Shot)
1. Bitter Feelings

**Author's Note: Hello and welcome to my little PokéExperiment, _Since You've Been Gone_. This is a bit of practice writing in first person-present tense and also a bit of practice at writing a bit sadder material. This will be a four-part story in Silver's viewpoint, just so you know. Also note, I'm unsure if this falls in Hurt/Comfort or not...so the genre is more of Friendship/Drama/Hurt/Comfort...although I'm certain other SoulSilver shippers will see this as Romance. XD If you see it as such, I personally won't mind. Just know that this is officially a friendship story, alright? I hope you enjoy it!  
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I rock on my heels and pull my thin coat shut with a frown, a bitter chill racing through the black cloth and freezing me in place. I look up at the docks with half-hearted interest just as the boat pulls into the Olivine harbor. The winds off the ocean are extremely salty this afternoon, even more so than usual. The _S.S Felicia_ let out a loud blast of her horn as she yet again reached the Olivine shore, drawing the attention of the awaiting people that anxiously waited for loved ones to disembark the large ship.

After about a half an hour, the ship's stairs were lowered to the dock, allowing the passengers to rush down to their awaiting friends and family. I narrow my eyes as I watch for you, just like I always have for six years.

...Nothing. The last one to get off the ship is a figure wrapped in brown cloth, as if they had just escaped a desert instead of arriving in the early autumn chill that has once again reached Johto.

I let out a sigh and shake my head, not really understanding what compels me to look for you at the docks every month when the Unova-bound ship makes its return voyage. What makes it so stupid is that I know you're not going to come back home.

You're already dead.

I know you're dead; that's the only reason you wouldn't come back home to your happy-go-lucky mother and your cheery friend Ethan, the reason why you've never sent a single letter or called even once. We all know you're long dead, six years gone and soon to be seven on the first of December.

We thought you'd let us know when you got there. Your mother would check her mailbox every morning for any signs of mail, and she'd always have her Pokégear right beside her all day long. Ethan and I would always check the Olivine Harbor on the first and last days of the month to see if you'd be coming home for a visit. I'd even visit your home every Monday and Wednesday to see if they'd heard anything. Everytime I went, I could gradually see the depression growing in your mother's eyes, the flame of hope dying slowly as she found no signs of her daughter's progress in Unova.

We waited for you. Once a year passed, we started to worry. Lance called Champion Alder of Unova and found that you'd never challenged the Elite Four. The man said the Gym Leaders couldn't recall ever facing a girl with your features, but they said they'd keep an eye out for you. I remember when he told your mother the news. She suddenly fell to her knees and just bawled at the Dragon Master's feet, not even hearing our words of reassurance or comfort.

When two years had passed since you left, Ethan stopped coming to the docks every month. He instead spent his time trying to contact an old friend named Crystal Heart who lived there, trying to see if she could find anything about you. Six months of careful searching proved fruitless when she told us she couldn't find a single trainer who registered for the Unova League with your description. He cried for you on my shoulder as he told me the news, unable to hold in his tears any longer. I found myself crying beside him as feelings of hopelessness sank in.

When three years had passed since you left, Red's mother stopped by for a visit with her son. Red had came down from his frigid home when news of your disappearance reached him about a year after you left. He tried to fly to Unova on his Charizard, but the unfavorable air currents drove him back to Johto with a heavy heart. His mother told us that we shouldn't give up just yet. After all, her son had been missing for three years before he showed up on Mt. Silver. Your mother was slightly comforted by this and decided to increase their efforts to find you, vowing that she would find you.

We still waited for you. Four years passed by and you were still missing. I tried to send Crobat out to find you, but he came back a month later with multiple wounds on his wings from wild Pokémon attacks. Ethan tried next with his Noctowl, but his bird only lasted a month before flying back home to collapse on his doorstep. Falkner and Green both tried with their Pidgeots, sending both of the birds out at the same time to try together, but they came back within four months, wounded and tired. Lance finally tried to do the same with one of his Dragonite, but even the Dragon Pokémon came back beaten and bruised.

Once five years had past, your mother wasn't even leaving the house. She wouldn't let anyone inside to visit her, either. Not even Ethan's mother could convince her to open her door. I decided to stay in New Bark Town with Ethan's family to try to help out. Ethan wasn't doing much better; he would act perfectly fine one moment before suddenly falling to his knees and sobbing the next. I tried to keep myself from breaking like they did, but it only seemed to get harder to hold back the tears.

When the sixth year arrived, your mother threw in the towel. I remember watching her finally leave her home with messy hair and blood-shot eyes, a photo of you clutched to her chest. She waited for us to come over to her side before gently placing the photo face-down on the grass and announcing with a cracking voice that you had to be dead. Ethan broke into tears and clung to his mother as I just stood there, feeling as if gravity's pressure multiplied ten-fold, robbing the air from my lungs and sending me crashing to the grass in a daze, unable to think or do anything.

I went to your funeral. Your mother had planned a small cermony just for the citizens of New Bark Town, but Lance payed for a large reception at a fancy church instead. All of New Bark was there; Ethan wore a tuxedo, and your mother wore a long black dress and a veil. Professor Elm and his family came, all in black just like everyone else. The Professor didn't talk about his research once during the whole day, maybe even the whole week.

The Gym Leaders came. Bugsy and Falkner were the first to show up, but everyone came. The Kanto Gym Leaders even came by and attended your service, even that old man who's Gym is in the Cinnabar Islands. Lance wrote a speech about you on behalf of the League and one for himself, and each of the Gym Leaders put in a word for you.

The surprise of the service was when Red came in through the front door in a black suit, snow on both shoulders and his hat completely gone from his head. His Pikachu was right behind him with an orchid in his mouth to put on your empty casket. He certainly shocked us all when he presented a long speech for you and spoke as clear as day to the whole crowd. Green said that it was the first time he's heard him speak so clearly, even when he had to stop because he was crying too hard.

Ethan and I still go visit your gravestone in your hometown every week, always cleaning the place up and leaving some flowers. Your mother still cries loud sobs in the evening, even when she seemed just fine only seconds beforehand.

Remember that flower you gave me before you left? The white orchid. You told me they were your favorite, remember? I hate to admit it, but I've never had a green thumb. It's nearly drowned twice, been toppled over by energetic Pokémon five times and been scorched by a redheaded idiot who thought a lightbulb would be just fine when the sun decided to hide for a week. Even though I've basically done _everything_ wrong, it still manages to live on.

I'm proud to say that I've gotten the hang of taking care of the delicate flower. It only took a dozen failures or so.

Remember how we used to talk? Not really talking about anything important, just silly chatter that you would ramble on about, like how your new Egg was doing or how your Typhlosion nearly roasted Ethan when the boy snuck up on you. Sometimes, you'd ask me about my family, or why I never wanted to find a place to take me in. You'd sit there, looking more serious than the elders who live near in the Bell Tower's monastery as I spat out the foul tales, nodding to show you were listening or giving me a pat on my back when I found the words choking me. You'd always give me half of your favorite chocolate bar after I finished, almost as if you were praising me for letting it out.

You would always tell me how it's alright to cry, how I can talk about my feelings and still be strong. You knew better than anyone that I bottled things up and preferred to keep my emotions hidden because I thought they made you weak.

Would you be proud of me if I said I've cried nearly every day for five years?

Do you remember how we first met? How I literally shoved you into the dirt when you found my hiding spot near Professor Elm's window? You didn't cry, you didn't yell at me. You didn't even so much as give me a dirty look. You just stood up, brushed yourself off and went inside. I still think that it's pretty impressive for a ten year old girl. Then we met constantly, battling each other at every turn. We became rivals, you never showing anything but compassion when all I did was put you down and make a complete jerk of myself.

I'm sorry for being such a jerk to you, I really am.

Do you remember how I stole Totodile and Sneasel? I tried to give them back. The Professor took one look at Feraligatr and said he'd prefer if I kept him. He claimed that Feraligatr seemed to actually like me and want to be my Pokémon. The man in Cianwood City hid in his house and yelled at me until I left, shouting that he didn't want me to come anywhere near his new Sneasel. I just shrugged and left an apology letter in his mailbox, just like you suggested when I asked you how I should tell him I was sorry.

I'm trying to be better to my Pokémon now. I've even evolved Sneasel into a Weavile now. Ethan helped me evolve my Mangneton into a Magnezone, just like you said you would when you came home.

I'd hate to tell you, but the League revoked your Championship title on the day of your funeral. They decided that it'd be the best to let Lance take over the throne again until someone else could come challenge him for the title. The Dragon Master wasn't too happy about it, though. He put up a plaque in your honor in the main hall of the League and presented your mother with the certificate you received when you beat him. He only gave an apology and slowly walked out of town.

I finally beat Lance a few months ago. It didn't feel right to have someone else just waltz up and snatch what you worked so hard for.

Remember when we were just little kids, acting as if we were bitter rivals one minute before laughing with each other's arm around our shoulders the next? You were so small then, shorter than any girl your age but three times as brave. I remember teasing you about how everything about you was so tiny, but you'd only state that it's what's inside that mattered. Ethan and I are teenagers now, almost reaching adulthood. We've changed a bit; our voices aren't as high and we've both grown quite a bit taller. I'd like to believe I've grown on the inside too, grown to become a better person.

It's hard to imagine you being gone so early. It's nearly impossible to believe you're dead only a year and a half after you set out on your journey to beat the Johto Champion. It still feels like a horrible nightmare.

Sometimes, I feel like you're still out there. You always said I was as stubborn as a Tauros. I know it's absolutely crazy to think so, but I still do sometimes. Maybe that's why I still wait at the docks, even when everyone else has given up. Sometimes, I'll dream about the way things were; us laughing about something Ethan did, battling with you at the League or just hanging out with you like we did back in the Dragon's Den. I'll wake up and grab my Pokégear to call you, but then I'd realize that you're gone and that I can never hear your voice again.

It still hurts. They say it'll get better, but it just doesn't. I still miss you. I still think about you. I still come to the docks and watch the _S.S Felicia _release her passengers and desperately scan the people for any signs of you, only to once again find you nowhere in sight. You're still gone and I'm still waiting for you to come home.

I shake my head with a sigh and close my eyes, tears threatening to spill out of them faster than the Tohjo Falls. I then shove my hands into my pockets and reluctantly turn around to tail the leaving crowd of happily reunited individuals yet again. I slowly look over my shoulder to find one or two people lingering at the docks, one of the stragglers being the strange figure who was the last to disembark looking around anxiously. Perhaps they're looking for someone, too. The thought somehow dampens my mood even further, making me let out another sigh and lift my head to the darkening skies above.

"...I still miss you, Kotone." I mutter out the words and let the winds carry them to the docks before I head towards the nearby Route 39 on my way back to New Bark Town.

A sudden hand presses against my left shoulder, holding me back from leaving the docks. I flinch and spin around to find the cloaked figure standing before me, their face hidden within a shroud of brown cloth that covered the top of their head and mouth. Feeling a little uneasy about this strangly-dressing individual, I yank away and take a few steps back.

"...Can I help you?" I spit the words out with forced polite airs as they seem to shiver in the wind. I pull my coat closer to myself as they slowly reach towards their chest.

"...Silver?" I raise an eyebrow as a young woman's voice leeks out of the now obviously-dusty cloak. I take another step backwards and tilt my head away from them with a frown.

"...Yeah...Again, can I help you?" They seem to take a sharp breath before slowly reaching their right hand towards their hood and unwrapping their face. I narrow my eyes as a long trail of brown fabric starts to uncurl from their head, exposing their face to the cold air.

The person slowly reveals a dust-caked face with long brunette locks, their hair dull as if they hadn't taken care of it properly in a long time. She brushed a lock away from her brown eyes with a weak smile and let her hand fall back to her side. I stare at her for a while before letting out a sigh.

"...Look. I'm sorry but I honestly have no idea who you are." Her smile falls as she tilts her head down to her feet. "Now, if you'll excuse me," I turn away and frown. "I have places to be."

"Wait!" She snatches my right hand and pulls me back with a high-pitched yell. I turn back around with a scowl as she suddenly pulls out something from inside of her cloak.

My eyes grow wide as a familiar hat is slowly dragged into view, the white fabric coated with sand and dirt. The red ribbon seems to be ripped in a few places, further giving it a worn-out appearance.

"Where did you get that hat?" I snap my gaze back to her face as she tries to give me another smile. "How in the world did you find her hat?"

"...Silvy." I swallow hard and shake my head with disbelief as the nickname meets my ears. It has to be a trick of my ears, only one person would know that nickname.

And the one who gave me it is six years dead.

She slowly reaches her cloak's tie with her left hand and lets the cover fall to her feet, the wind carrying it backwards a bit before it meets the wooden planks. I further distance myself from the brunette as I find her wearing Kotone's clothes, the slightly-faded overalls far too short for the girl before me. I snap my head up to her hopeful face and scowl.

"What kind of sick joke is this?!" Her face falls at my shout as I shake my head and back away.

"Wait!" She suddenly rummages in the Kotone look-alike bag, shoving the hat inside before pulling out a Pokéball. She hurls the device and releases the beast inside, making me grab my Feraligatr's Pokéball just in case she tries to pull something.

The red disappears to reveal an obviously-ticked Typhlosion, the beast letting out a roar at the sight of me. I shake my head as tears form in my eyes, not understanding a bit of what was going on. Then, I surprise even myself. I speak. But, not to the girl...

I speak to the Typhlosion.

"...Blitz?" The Typhlosion cocks his head at me in recognition before his eyes grow wide with a grin.

"Silver!" He lets out a happy roar before turning to the girl. "We've made it, Koto! We're home!"

...Koto? Only one person has a Typhlosion who calls her 'Koto'. I look back at her to see her slowly nod her head and give me another hopeful smile. The pieces suddenly click as she pulls out a worn Trainer Card.

"...I'm so sorry I didn't come home." I take a cautious step forward and gently take the plastic from her hand. Sure enough, it's Kotone Soul's Trainer Card. I'd recognize the smile on her face anywhere. "Unova has this strange lock-down that prevents you from sending out anything or going anywhere until you beat the League." I look up with wet eyes as she takes a step towards me, her Typhlosion giving us a weak smile of his own.

I quickly snatched her right hand after depositing Kotone's Trainer's Card into my pocket, earning a small squeak of shock. I then pulled her down the street towards the Olivine City Hospital, knowing that I had to be one-hundered percent sure of this.

I just hope that this is real. Scratch that, I pray to Lugia that it's really her.

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**Author's Note: Personally, it _was_ going to end at "You're still gone and I'm still waiting for you to come home.", however I couldn't leave it on such a sour note. I just... ;-; I couldn't. Not with my favorite characters here. I will admit I cried when I was writing Silver's reaccount of the events that took place over the six years. I'm a sensitive person, so stuff like this actually can make me sad. "orz**

**Personally, one of the saddest things in life is when someone just disappears without a trace. It honestly is one of the most heart-breaking things that _still_ happen in our world. Picture someone you love going through their day, nothing unusual going on...then, you never hear from them again. They just disappear off the face of the earth. You can search for them, but you still can't seem to find them. You try _everything_ to find them, but nothing leads to any clues about your missing loved one. Over the years, you eventually have to assume they're dead, right? But, oftentimes the family of the loved one will still have a small bit of hope that they may still be alive. You never _did_ locate a body, so they might be alive...somewhere. And so you basically go through a cycle of hope and depression, because you'll never have the finite closure. **

**...Sorry about the sad ramble up there. But, I'd still love to hear what you think about this. Please don't hesitate to leave a review, and I hope you stick around for the rest of the story.**


	2. Agonized Waiting

**Part Two**

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I honestly have no idea how such a large crowd appeared in the waiting room of the Olivine Hospital, I only called Ethan and her mother. I somehow ended up with Ethan in a chair with his face in his hands, her mother pacing back and forth anxiously, Lance trying to reassure the worried Ms. Soul, Green sitting beside Ethan while he attempts to sooth the boy and Red standing motionless by the door to her room, his crimson eyes never leaving the entrance for a single second.

Where am I? Well, I'm standing directly opposite to the young man who took down my father all those years ago, engaging in an unoffical staring contest with the dead-silent man. He's back in his usual attire now, still preferring to wear his red jacket and faded jeans he always had. He's even got a few wet spots on his shoulders from where the snow sank into the fabric. His Pikachu is sitting anxiously at his feet, ears twitching every few moments as he strains to listen to the doctor inside of the room.

I narrow my eyes and let out a sigh as I lean against the wall, the seemingly eternal wait dragging on and wearing the six of us out. Who knew it would take so many hours for a simple D.N.A testing? I certainly didn't.

"...I can't believe it." I find myself muttering my thoughts out loud, attracting the attention of the others in the room—with the exclusion of the pacing mother. "...This seems just so..."

"...Too good to be true." Red finishes my sentence with a frown and looks down towards me. "I feel the same way about this."

I turn to look over my shoulder and find Green nodding his head while patting Ethan's back. "But if it is true, it'll be the biggest mystery solved since Red's disappearance." Ethan slowly peeked out of his hands and sat up, running a hand through his messy hair and knocking his hat down to his lap.

"But..." Lance gave us all a stern look, unable to bring himself to say what we're all thinking. We can't get our hopes up on this. The odds are just too slim for this teenager to actually be the long-lost Kotone Soul. I shake my head and slowly turn my attention to my feet.

"But, if this is her..." I look back up to find Ethan staring at his feet with downcast eyes. "...We have to at least try. After all," He looked up slowly towards the door, his gaze going straight through both of the guards in front of it. "This is the only thing we've heard about her in six years."

Ms. Soul let out a choked sob before wiping her eyes on the back of her hands, the conversation obviously upsetting her. We all shut our mouths with apologetic expressions as Lance gives us another hard glare.

And so we wait in silence. The hours tick by slower than they ever had before, Celebi seemingly entrapping the six of us in a never-ending cycle of waiting, pacing and sighing. Every once in a while, someone will ask what time it is and we'll all flip out our Pokégears and find it only a few minutes since the last time someone asked. I've never been the most patient of individuals, but this is getting ridiculous.

Just how hard is it to stick a needle in someone's arm, take a stinkin' blood sample and check the database for a match, anyway?! It shouldn't take so long to see if she's actually Kotone Soul or not for Lugia's sake! I find myself tapping my foot and growling as the time drags on, unable to wait any longer for the news. Red gives me an amused look before placing a hand on my shoulder, startling me out of my fume.

"...Hey. Calm down, Silver." I look up at his somber face with puffed-out cheeks, just as Kotone had always done when we were kids. "They'll let us know eventually. You just have to hang in there." I narrow my eyes at his crimson irises and slowly let the air out of my cheeks.

"But it's taking them hours! I can't stand all of this waiting! When will they tell us at least _something_—!" I was cut off by the door opening beside us, making us both quickly back away to allow whoever it was to enter the waiting room.

A tall woman with teal hair and a gentle smile stepped out, dressed in a white variation of Nurse Joy's uniform to show she was a human nurse instead of one for Pokémon. She gives us all a short bow of apology before standing up straight with tired eyes.

"I'm sorry to keep you all waiting." I take a few steps closer as she begins to speak with a soothing voice, as if she was a Milotic in a swarm of Carvanha. "The test results have come back positive." The room falls silent and motionless at her words, all of us seemingly holding our breath in disbelief.

"Y-You mean..." Kotone mother turned to the woman slowly with a look of awe on her face. "She's...She's my..."

The nurse nods and gives us all a beaming smile. "The D.N.A sample came back as a match. The girl is Kotone Soul, there's not a single doubt about it."

I suddenly bolt inside of the room without a second thought, the only thing on my mind being that Kotone has finally come home, that she's not dead and that I suddenly have my best friend back in the world of the living instead of just the realm of sleep. I find her sitting inside of the white room on a small bed, a look of shock on her face as I stopped before her.

She slowly eases into a smile and lifts her arms into the air for a hug, allowing me to dive into her grasp and just pull her closer, as if she'd disappear if I let her go. "Silver...I've missed you so much." I feel the tears streaming down my cheeks as I just tighten my grip and let out a choked sob.

"Why didn't you come home?" My voice was barely a whisper, cracking like a burning log as my lungs seemed to be squeezed by an outside force. "We waited for six _years_ to hear from you."

She pulls her head back away from my shoulder to give me a tear-filled smile. "I got lost. Unova has this large desert called 'The Desert Resort' and I ended up getting lost in there for nearly two years." My mouth falls open slightly at the image of tiny little Kotone Soul shielding her face from billowing sandstorms and trudging through blinding sands, wandering around aimlessly for years.

"Why didn't you call?" My voice squealed under the pressure as she slowly looked down at her lap. "Why didn't you send mail or come back or _something_?!" I tighten my grip as she looks to her left, diverting her gaze from my own.

"I tried." Her voice chokes on her own tears as she slowly tightens her grip around my chest and pulls closer. "Unova won't let you leave or send any type of correspondence until you beat the League. It's a standard rule."

"Well it's a stupid rule!" I pull her closer, nearly shoving my face to her shoulder. "We thought you were stinkin' _dead_, Kotone! We thought you got on that boat and just dropped off the face of the earth!" I hear her let out another sob as a few tears hit my skin.

"I-I'm sorry..." Her apology is more of a whimper as she buries her face into my neck. "I'm so sorry...I really am..."

I don't say anything, just hold her tighter and thank Lugia that this is actually Kotone Soul, the girl who seemed to disappear without a trace. That this is the girl who would laugh until she cried from the pain in her gut, the girl who would help anyone out without a second of forethought or hesitation. This is the girl who had left the world for nearly seven years, leaving both friends and family behind in a pained void.

She suddenly pulls away and reaches into her back pocket. My eyes grow wide as she pulls out a badge case with strange symbols on the top, surrounded in a both black and white background. She slowly opens it to reveal six gleaming badges in fancy shapes with bright colors that shimmered in the overhead lights.

"...I finally beat them this summer." She sniffs in and shakes her head. "The Gyms there are tough and extremely confusing." She gives me a weak smile and shakes her head again. "I think I spent a good five weeks challenging Brycen in his Ice Gym alone." I give her a disbelieving smile and just pull her back into a hug, letting the badge case fall onto her lap and snap shut.

I don't let go, not even when the others slowly fill the room with smiles of relief and loud exclamations of joy.

* * *

**Author's Note: Halfway point. Seriously though, did anyone _else_ get lost in the so-called 'Desert Resort'?! I got lost in there for _two actual days_! I'm just lucky I had enough medicines on hand to find my way out of there... **

**...And I have no trouble with Unova's Gyms...Alright, I have trouble memorizing Unova's native species. It's hard to memorize such complicated Pokémon names and who the heck they are!**


	3. Remember?

**Part Three**

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"I understand that you all must be happy to see her after so long, but you must be patient." An elderly doctor stands before the six of us in the waiting room, the man having pulled us out of the room before allowing the others to speak to Kotone. Her mother gives him a hard glare as Lance places a hand on her shoulder, concern written all over his face.

"Why should I wait to talk to my own _daughter_ who I thought was dead for _six years_?! I need to speak to my Koto!" Ethan gives a furious nod of agreement, earning a few nods from Green and I as well.

"I'm truly sorry, Ma'am." The doctor lifted his hands defensively and let out a sigh. "But she's been gone for six years, just as you said. All of you coming in at once might trigger her to go into shock. You need to fill her in on what happened gently." We all exchanged looks before letting out a collective sigh of disappointment. We don't want to wait, we want to see Kotone _now_.

The doctor slowly swept his gaze over all of us before letting out a sigh. "...One of you may go in now, but try not to overwhelm her."

"Could I go?" I step forward just as Ethan did the same, obvious annoyance written on his face when I spoke the words before him. "I mean, I haven't really changed much these past six years, have I?"

It was true, change isn't something I overly enjoyed. I still wore a navy-blue jacket with crimson accents and light blue jeans, practically the same pair of shoes on my feet and the same haircut for as long as I could remember. Out of the six of us, I was pretty much the only one who hadn't decided to update their wardrobe—with the exception of Red and Green, those two never changed.

The doctor's eyes narrowed as he gave a quick glance toward the older trainers in the room. "...How close are these two to Ms. Soul?" Green's mouth opened to speak, but I quickly spoke before he could answer.

"I-I was her rival for her journey! I've known her since she started her quest to become Champion!" Green gives me an annoyed look, but I hardly notice. I lock my eyes on the doctor as he slowly nods. He then turns to Kotone's mother and cocks his head.

"Would it be alright with you if he spoke with her, Ma'am?" Kotone's mother gives me a sad look before nodding her head.

"...Silver can go." Ethan cringes as she goes on, "I'm afraid little Ethan has grown so much these past few years, Kotone would hardly recognize him." I give him a childish smirk as he pets his developing mustache defensively, as if he was actually considering changing back into his old outfit to talk to Kotone.

The doctor gave a nod before stepping aside, allowing me to pass him to enter the room. "Go ahead, young man. Kotone's still seated on her bed." I gave a nod and walked forward with a small smile, feeling pretty confident about myself.

Red suddenly puts a hand on my shoulder as I pass, making me look up at him with an eyebrow raised. He gives me a small smile of his own and motions towards the door. "Good luck, Silver. Make sure to be easy on her, it's hard to find things so different after being gone for so long..."

I smirk and nod at his comment before removing his hand. "Like how you found out Cinnabar Island exploded?" I look back up to find him cringing, knowing full-well that Red honestly was flabbergasted by the revelation back in the day. I give him a chuckle before walking back into the small room, my shoes squeaking on the white tiles.

Kotone looks up quickly before giving me a weak smile. "...Silvy." I grunt in confirmation and flinch as the door shuts behind me. I look over my shoulder and frown as the doctor pulls a shade down over the window. Well, _that_ wasn't part of my plan. I shake off the strange behavior and walk to her side, wearing a small smile to keep her from panicking.

"Kotone..." I slowly sit beside her on the white sheets and take in her new appearance, still unable to believe someone could change so much in six years. Instead of being the short girl with spunk, Kotone seems to have grown a good foot or so, now becoming a normal height for a seventeen year old girl. Her once-pigtailed hair now falls past her shoulders in faded waves, the color seemingly dull from perhaps her time in the desert. While her overalls weren't very modest beforehand, they now are so short on her that they hardly cover her leg sockets, the tight fit undoubtedly uncomfortable—which only made me question why she would wear the outfit in the first place.

Although, the biggest shock would be the addition of slight curves to her body, making her definitely seem older. I never thought I'd see the day when Kotone actually looked like her mother, but here it is.

"Kotone," I try to speak again as she cocks her head with interest shining in her eyes. "...Why are you wearing that outfit?" Eh, not what I was going for...but apparently the question bothered me enough to ask. She widens her eyes for a heartbeat before looking away with puffed cheeks.

"...So you would recognize me." She gave her shoes a quick glance before looking up at my face again. "I was worried that I changed too much, that you wouldn't know it was me...So, I wore my old clothes...even though they don't really fit anymore." I nod in agreement and scoot a tad closer to her with nervous motions.

"...Speaking of change..." I look at her face with narrow eyes, trying to figure out the best way to explain what's happened these past six years without scaring her. "You realize things have changed here, right?" She reluctantly nods before swinging her feet back and forth.

"I know." She suddenly looks up with a smile and pokes my right arm, making me let out a small grunt of protest. "I mean, just look at you! Your face looks a bit different, and I'm pretty sure you've gotten taller, too!" I nod before letting out a sigh.

"...Ethan's changed too. He's gotten taller, and he doesn't act so childish anymore." I look over to see her eyes narrow before looking down at her feet.

"...Did...Did he miss me?"

"Of course!" I nearly shout the words at the top of my lungs, making her flinch and lean away from me. "We've all missed you!"

She opens her mouth for a second before shaking her head and smiling again. "So...anything big happen?" She looks up and cocks her head playfully at my confused expression. "I didn't miss a sudden Team Rocket revival, did I?" I chuckle and shake my head.

"Nope. Team Rocket's dead as a doornail." She gives a happy nod before looking towards the door, leaving me staring at her masked expression with a frown.

Dang, this is harder than I thought it was going to be. Like, a _lot_ harder. Maybe I should try to explain somethings without her asking about them...

"...There's a new Champion." She quickly snaps her attention back with a pout, obviously unhappy to hear the news. Well, I always knew that she wouldn't like to hear that.

"Oh really?" She folds her hands in her lap and frowns at me, making me take a small scoot away from her to the right. "And just _who_ took over my position, Silver?"

"Well...Lance, at first." I run a hand through my hair and let out a puff of air, pushing it out of my mouth with a frown. "But...then someone beat him."

I look to my left to see her with a frown. "Who?! Tell me!"

I let out an embarrassed chuckle and slowly point to my chest. "You're looking at him." I smile as I watch her eyes grow wide before she suddenly hides her face in her hands.

"Oh...Ho-Oh..." I switch to a frown as she uncovers her face slowly, pulling down on her skin with a groan. "I wanted to be there when you finally beat him..." She shook her head and let her hands fall into her lap with a sigh. She slowly looks up towards me and flashes me a weak smile. "Well, congratulations, Silver. I'm really proud of you."

I let her words sink in with a smile before letting out a sigh, shaking my head slowly as I realize I still have plenty left to explain.

"There's...still a few more things that happened." Her eyes widen before she lets out a long sigh.

"Like what?"

I give her a weak grin of my own and place my left hand on her right hand, trying to ease her into this news. "Well, let me see..."

* * *

**Author's Note: Part three, we're almost done with _Since You've Been Gone_. One of the hardest things about being gone for six years would be catching up with the events you missed, especially when it has to do with your friends and family aging. It's kinda like _Rip Van Winkle_, only thankfully not over a span of twenty years in a single night. That's something a bit more overwhelming.  
**


	4. Right Where You Should Be

**Part Four**

* * *

Ethan and I sit with Kotone between us, our feet dangling off of the roof of her house as the sun set behind us. I give them both a quick glance and feel a rush of nostalgia, the image seeming to be nearly the same as when we last did so six years ago. I pull my coat closer to my chest as Ethan does the same, both of us shivering slightly in the cold. Ethan slowly turns towards me with a smile and cocks his head.

"...This feels like a dream..." Ethan finally spoke up as he scoots a bit closer to Kotone. "You've been gone for so long and now you're back..." I gave a nod and scooted closer to Kotone myself, feeling cold on the outside but all warm and excited inside.

"I know..." Kotone looks up at the sky and gives a smile, one of those genuine smiles I've missed so much. "I've missed you guys so much. All I could think about out there in that desert was when I was going to see you guys again. I missed you both so much." I gave a grunt and a nod before wrapping my arms around her, Ethan doing the same both out of a need for warmth and a desire to keep her close.

"We both missed you." I found myself smiling as I spoke, the words drifting in the thick winds of New Bark Town. "It was six years of pure torture back home without you." Ethan and Kotone both gave me a nod of agreement and looked back to the sky.

"...So much has changed since I've been gone." Kotone let the words out with a sigh and stared down at her lap. "Johto looked like it always did..." She gives a sad smile at this and I reluctantly pull away, still leaning towards her but freeing her from my grasp. She slowly turns to me and cocks her head, her hazel eyes shimmering the way the always did when she was about to cry. "But everyone's so different. I know that it's only natural...but it feels so strange to see everyone suddenly so grown up."

"Hey," I poked her chest, directly where her heart was and silently noted that Ethan and I weren't the only ones to grow up. "Remember what you told me?"

She gives me a confused look as Ethan releases her, Ethan sharing her confusion as he tried to figure out what I was going to say. "...I'm not sure." She suddenly looked down at her feet and gave them a swing. "I remember telling you a lot of things back then."

I let out a chuckle and shook my head. "Remember? It doesn't matter what you look like on the outside..." Ethan's face lit up as he recalled her favorite lecture.

"But what you look like on the inside!" Kotone gives us both a shocked expression before laying her head against the roof and smiling.

"...You're right." I slowly lean back and join her as Ethan does the same, the three of us finally back together again. "It's the inside that matters. Everyone's still the same...they just look different."

"Like how Ethan decided to try to grow a mustache." I chuckle as he lets out a deep growl and pets the stubble with a frown, making Kotone laugh and close her eyes for a moment.

"Yeah, that's going to take some getting used to." Ethan suddenly stops petting the short hairs and turns his head towards us, still frowning slightly.

"...What should we do now?" Kotone and I turn to him in slight confusion as he continues, "We're practically adults now...three more years and we'll all be boring ol' adults."

Kotone suddenly gains a familiar spark in her eyes and shakes her head. "Who said we _had_ to grow up once we reach twenty?" I frown in confusion as she goes on, "We can still have fun then, can't we?"

"I guess so." I let out a sigh as Ethan looks up at the sky, staring at three stars that are the first to appear in the evening sky. "But...we'll have to grow up eventually. I doubt Ethan's mother will let us just goof around until we're little old men." I let out a groan, imitating Professor Oak when he suddenly gets an ache in his back, making Kotone laugh and give me a playful shove on my left side.

"Yeah..." Her laughter dies off as she looks up at the sky and smiles. "Let's save the growing up part for later, alright?"

Ethan and I both nod before looking back up at the sky, smiling at the thought of all the things we could do together now that our group was finally back together. Ethan suddenly sits up and frowns.

"But what about girls?!" He turns towards me sharply with an anxious expression on his face. "Won't they expect us to get a girlfriend or something?" I cringe as I imagined the odd looks I might receive if all I did was hang out with these two all day like we were ten years old again.

"Bah!" We snap our attention to Kotone as she waves a hand in the hair. "Who cares about that! We have more important things to do than go ga-ga over someone, right?" We all nod and let out our own exclamations of agreement before Ethan slowly lays back down on the roof with a new smile.

I close my eyes and smile as Kotone lets out a happy sigh, all of us just relaxing and enjoying each other's company.

Finally, things are back to normal. Sure, a lot has changed since you've been gone, but it doesn't matter. All that matters to me is that you're finally back home where you belong. I finally have my best friend by my side, right were you should always be. And this time, I'm not letting you disappear again.

* * *

**Author's Note: And that would be the end of _Since You've Been Gone_. I'll admit, this was a really short work for me, but I actually like it. Just so you know, I'd love to hear what you think—even if it's some useful critiques! Please don't hesitate to tell me what you think in the Review section! Thank you for reading _Since You've Been Gone_, I hope you enjoyed it!  
**


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